Literacy policy and programming in developing countries continues to be influenced by the assumption that without literacy, an adult is unable to function on an equal basis in society and that an individual can be easily categorised as either literate or illiterate. Although this has led to prioritisation of primary schooling over adult literacy…

This newsletter, published five times a year, features articles on issues of concern to adult, family, and youth literacy practitioners, as well as recommended resources, announcements, and teaching strategies. (1) Creating a 21st Century Adult Literacy System (Martin C. Finsterbusch); (2) What Research Can Tell Us (Stephen Reder); (3) Skills the…

The publication is based on the "Adult Readiness Roundtable" Project co-sponsored by CAAL and the National Center on Education and the Economy on April 6-7, 2009. It is not a transcript of the Roundtable discussion; instead it reports on a two-day discussion meeting among a group of exemplary adult-education-for-work programs from around the…

This Support Document reports in detail on two of three components of the methodology. The first part of this document features the literature review, focusing in particular on the three areas of health literacy, financial literacy and literacy in the justice sector. It also includes a background section on policy. The second part of the Support…

When it became clear that existing literacy efforts would not be enough to enable some countries to reach Education for All (EFA) Goal 4 (a 50 percent improvement in levels of adult literacy), UNESCO launched the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE, 2006-2015). 35 countries with literacy rates below 50 percent and/or a population of more…

Background/Context: Educational researchers have long sought to understand the factors that enable or constrain persistence in non-formal family literacy and adult education programs. Scholars typically posit three sets of factors influencing persistence: situational (learners' life circumstances), institutional (programmatic factors), and…

The General Educational Development (GED) Tests are widely used to certify a high school level of academic knowledge and skills. The popularity and profound influence of the GED Tests have elicited numerous studies on the outcomes of obtaining a GED credential. Most studies on labor market outcomes for GED credential recipients have targeted…

This chapter examines the characteristics and performance of adult immigrants and adult English language learners on the National Assessment of Adult Literacy. These factors are related to key social outcomes such as involvement in the labor force, income, and welfare participation, and the data reported can be used in making decisions about…

Discusses the issue of adult literacy in Ireland and the efforts that have been made to increase the literacy rate. Describes the National Adult Literacy Agency, established to respond to the literacy needs of adults in Ireland. (JOW)

The work-oriented approach has modified or needs to modify the ideology and the set of practices of traditional literacy. These are considered under eight areas: ideology, organization, methodology, instructional and reading materials, teachers, training evaluation, and functional literacy and life-long education. (SC)

Research indicates an interest in family planning materials among new literates. (Author/EB)

With the increasing use of computers in education, adults will need to adapt to their use. While understanding of computer programing languages is not needed, rudimentary knowledge and skills are. One must have some facility with a keyboard and be able to respond to the computer. (JOW)

Adults with low-level literacy skills are not a homogeneous group. They are creators of their own social lives and participate in the ongoing creation and maintenance of the social world in which they live. Understanding the underlying communicative competence of most nonreading adults leads to fundamental questions about the assumptions…

Examines literacy as a discourse of power as it applies to linguistic minorities in this theoretical article. Literacy needs to be redefined for librarians to be able to provide people whose languages are not the dominant or official ones in society with appropriate literacy services. Contains 51 references. (Author/LRW)

Describes how the author came to love poetry, and how she taught a poetry unit with an adult literacy class. Argues that poetry is a way of taking literacy "by the throat." (SR)